by Martin Hellman
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has described Russia’s refusal to support a UN resolution on Syria as “despicable.” But, as usual, there’s another perspective. Burned by the West’s transforming the UN resolution that called for protection of Libyan civilian into a mandate for regime change, Russia is worried about a repeat in Syria. And, it doesn’t help garner Russian support when Senator John McCain warns Vladimir Putin that he could meet Gaddafi’s fate, or that Fox News “accidentally” substituted footage of Athens’ streets burning when reporting on Russian protests in Moscow. Both the Western and the Russian perspectives on Syria have value. Taking off our blinders and incorporating both views would help minimize the suffering in Syria, as well as reduce the risk of a Russian-American confrontation – and a nuclear catastrophe. A recent article by Fyodor Lukyanov, Editor-in-Chief of the Russia in Global Affairs journal provides more details on the Russian perspective and is highly recommended reading.
About Martin Hellman
Well.... it's not as if Kosovo
(http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-12-15/news/27084452_1_prime-minister-hashim-thaci-kosovo-liberation-army-kosovo-border)
or Libya
(http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/09/world/africa/libyas-new-government-unable-to-control-militias.html?pagewanted=all)
were such dramatic successes that anyone would want to duplicate them.
Posted by: Patrick Armstrong | April 25, 2012 at 06:00 PM